Corona Devotionals

Can we see which way these marigolds on my front porch are leaning?   They are craving  sunlight, and hence they are growing  in the direction that will lead them closer to that nourishment . How about us?   Which way are we leaning today?  Toward who, or what?   If we are craving  God and His will and ways ( nourishment! ) for our lives...then we must make the decisions, choices, and efforts to grow in His direction.   And the Lord has some advice for us if we want to  grow into a full experience of salvation  with Him.  (And we do.) So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.    ~I Peter 2:1 ~~~ Dear Lord, cleanse me of anything that breaks Your heart.  Amen. So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit...  ~I Peter 2:1 Are we untruthful in what we are doing or saying?  God says for us to get rid of all deceit ....

God's word is so applicable to us in every stage of life.  I read verses from the Bible, and God pricks my heart about my attitude, or priorities, or my sin  today. But I also read it and think  how good and valuable  every.  single. word.  is for my children and the world's children that we are seeking to raise with God's principals and Law as their foundation for life. But  I also read it and think, "I have to share this with my friends and neighbors and family and strangers  because it will change their life!" God's Word will redirect them and redefine them, and I must let them know about the Bible because it is the best way that I can love them! But I also read it and think--there are people who don't know God...don't know His love for them and His good plan for them.  And if they could/would/ knew to listen and obey  Him and His Word...then everything would change for them. I read the Bible and think these things because that's how ...

Would it surprise you to learn that our family lives in Ohio, but our first-born is beginning college at a (Christian) university in Arizona… a thirty-hour drive  from our house? It surprised me. But it didn't surprise the Lord.  He (apparently) has been planning this for a while (nineteen years). Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  ~Psalm 139:16 ~~~ If we are questioning where God has us today, or the logic/location/wisdom of what is happening with us currently:  don't.    Lord, You  saw  our  unformed body , and  all the days ordained for  us  were written in your book before one of them came to be.   Even if today's plans don't make perfect sense to us, we can trust You with our today and with our lives.  Your intentions for us are good and You planned them long ago.   We will choose t...

Not all who wander are lost.  That's a popular saying for t-shirts or stickers, but-- are all who wander lost?  ...Or can they be found?   And--a more pertinent question that the Bible asks of us today is, " Who is wandering?" Who among us is wandering ?  And--are we  willing to bring  them back ? The phrase " among us " does not suggest someone far away, or someone in another country, or someone that is not familiar to us.  If we were to discuss someone "among us", that would not mean someone far away. " Among us " suggests and implies someone that is near.   Someone that is close to us in proximity, and possibly in heart. Is someone among us wandering?  Missionary work lends itself to us thinking about far away lands, and certainly there are those that are wandering in places overseas and across continents.  And missionaries (including us) are called to share the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.  But, wha...

Advertisements for products have always been the main revenue source for media, whether it be print, screen, or radio, and although times and products have changed, the mantra of " This message brought to you by___ "  is still widely heard and experienced as our eyes and minds take in the world.   Advertisers pay big bucks to influence our decisions and our lives, and whether we are aware of it or not,  " This message brought to you by__ " seeps into our psyche, our  mind and our plans.   One minute we're watching TV and the next day we are buying Wonder Bread or a Peloton, or a certain skin care cleanser because... " This message brought to you by__ " . Well, today we have a different message to influence our behavior, our thinking, and our lives:  Prayer. Today's message is brought to us by the God of the universe and it is prayed by David, a man after God's own heart (I Samuel 13:14). We allow so many messages to permeate our minds and infl...

Do we know someone (or a marriage, or a family) who is blessed by God?  (You can tell.) I do. Do we know someone who is rich (and I don't mean money). Don't look at their bank account: look to their belief in God.   Look at the bedrock and foundation of their life.  Do we know someone (or a marriage, or a family) who is blessed by God?  Their foundation will not  be the base upon which the world builds itself (money/status/affluence/extra's).   Those who are true-to-God ( priests  for him!) will have a provision-from-God that has nothing to do with money (although it will include financial-provision because God knows our needs and necessities).    Watch for how God cares-for/provides-for/blesses-beyond-measure those who are betrothed to Him in spirit: His priests . Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  ( 21)  to him be gl...